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Thursday, february 08, 2018
CITY COUNCIL
CAREER FAIR
A millennial voice in Moscow
Anne Zabala aims to tackle Moscow CityCouncilwithafreshperspective Hailey Stewart Argonaut
Grayson Hughbanks
Argonaut
It’s who you know UI Career Fair prepares students for success Emma Takatori Argonaut
The spring Career Fair, presented by University of Idaho Career Services, offered a unique opportunity for students Wednesday to network and meet potential employers in the Kibbie Dome. This year’s spring fair was the largest yet, with a total of 135 employers actively seeking UI students to serve as interns or full-time employees. Prior to the event, Assistant Director for Internships and Employer Relations John Mangiantini spoke about the importance of the Career Fair and the preparation that went into it. Mangiantini worked with Washington State University before taking his position at UI four years ago. “My job description, basically, is to
engage with employers in north Idaho, Washington and western Oregon to get them to come and recruit UI students, whether it is virtually or physically with the fairs and on-campus interviews etc.,” Mangiantini said. Mangiantini stressed the importance of the Career Fair and why students should attend. “All of our employers tell us they want to meet freshmen. They’re not necessarily hiring them, but they want to meet them and start to build a relationship with them because the next summer— the summer between their sophomore and junior year— they’re employable,” he said. id He said employers come to Moscow to meet and engage with students of all ages. “The freshmen should be there for the networking purposes for the future and to learn more about possible careers they may have never thought of, and sophomores and juniors should be there thinking about
internships. Seniors and grad students are there to find jobs,” he said. Mangiantini said it is a necessity to come to thes kinds of events prepared. It is important for students to research the companies they are interested in prior to meeting them at the fair, he said. “(Students) need to do their research, go to the company’s website, look at their mission statement and see if their values line up with yours. When you’ve read about the company, it is pretty easy to see how you might fit,” Mangiantini said. “There is nothing that impresses an employer more than if you read their mission statement or their vision statement.” For students to prepare for interacting with potential employers, Mangiantini expressed the importance of utilizing the services offered at UI.
Unlike most teenagers, Anne Zabala’s first interest in local government was piqued by talk of city sidewalks and downtown restoration projects. Now 25 years old, the Moscow City Council member remembers the first time she attended a city council meeting in her rural hometown of Middleton. She was a sophomore in high school and attendance was mandatory, but her love of civic engagement only grew from there. “(City councils) talk about some Anne Zabala really amazing stuff, and you just City Council Member never know until you go,” Zabala said. Zabala left Middleton after graduating high school and found a home in Moscow. She then graduated from the University of Idaho in 2016 with an interdisciplinary degree in English and organizational science. Her more unconventional educational track, she said, allowed her to select her own learning experience. “I was really interested in choosing my own path,” Zabala said. “A big part of my college experience was what I did outside the classroom.” Zabala was an ASUI lobbyist and senator, a Center for Volunteerism and Social Action coordinator, the president of the Idaho Young Democrats and still found time to study abroad during her four years at UI. These activities, she said, are what gave her the knowledge and excitement for political engagement. In addition to her recent election to a two-year council seat, Zabala works with UI’s Annual Giving Program as a crowdfunding coordinator. The program supports colleges, departments and programs at UI by raising private donations, according to the UI website. “It sounds cheesy, but I have always wanted to find ways to make a difference,” Zabala said. “In college, that’s when I really understood how to use my knowledge and skillset to make those differences happen.” Zabala said last year was a year of firsts. She bought a home in Moscow and hit the city council campaign trail all before the end of 2017. After going through the process of buying a home at a young age, Zabala said she understands the housing challenges young Moscow community members face. In addition to housing, Zabala aimed to create a platform that engaged all community members, especially the younger population. As one of six city council members, Zabala said she aims to look into the services Moscow currently provides and should be providing. Alternative transportation is one of the issues at the top of her list. “I didn’t see housing or climate change or alternative forms of transportation really being talked about at the local level, and I wanted to change that,” Zabala said.
SEE know, PAGE 4
SEE millennial, PAGE 4
GREEK LIFE
Grading Idaho’s Greek Andrew Ward Argonaut
Greek life at the University of Idaho must adapt to a new accreditation system by the end of 2018. In January, chapter presidents received new guidelines for Greek life at UI, titled “Vandal Chapter Evaluation: A Model of Yearly Evaluation for Chapter Excellence and Reflection” (VCE). The 17-page packet detailed a new system each chapter must adhere to. According to the document, the purpose of VCE is to create “a comprehensive look at how each fraternity and sorority chapter
is fulfilling its goals, professing and living its mission” by grading houses on a point-based system. VCE will focus on evaluating areas of Greek life in three main categories: membership development, chapter management and university-community involvement. Every category contains subcategories that contribute to the overarching ideas, structure and engagement of Greek member involvement. Every house will be awarded points based on their performance in each category. After the points are tallied, each house will be placed into one of four classes: Vandal Pride, Gold, Silver and Needs Improvement. Shawn Dowiak, assistant dean
of students and director of fraternity and sorority life, adapted an already-established practice used by other universities to create VCE. Although chapters will be placed into categories based on performance, he said VCE is not a ranking system. “Everybody thinks it is a chapter ranking system. It’s not a ranking system. That’s an inaccurate way to look at it,” Dowiak said. “It groups chapters based on ability level. People think of it as we’re going to rank the chapters one through 20, or one through 34. That’s not really realistic, nor is it accurate.” SEE GRADING, PAGE 4
IN THIS ISSUE
Men’s and women’s basketball faces rival Eastern Washington. sports, 5
News, 1
Sports, 5
Arts, 8
Opinion, 11
Taking a look at UI’s new structure for Greek life
Alexandra Stutzman | Argonaut
Students make their way to class Monday afternoon from Greek Row.
The Career Fair won’t help every student. Read Our View.
Get Involved Fair helps instill a sense of community.
Opinion, 11 University of Idaho
ARts, 8 Volume 120, Issue no. 19
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